NYPDhttp://www.wfuv.org/taxonomy/term/641/0
enNYC Council Begins Hearings on Police-Community Relationshttp://www.wfuv.org/news/news-politics/150303/nyc-council-begins-hearings-police-community-relations
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NYC Council will look at initiatives aimed to improve relationship with NYPD and community. </div>
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<p>The New York City Council is holding its first hearing on policing since protests swept the city after the Eric Garner grand jury decision not to indict police in the unarmed man&#39;s death.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Police officials outlined a series of pilot programs intended to demonstrate more police involvement in minority communities - not simply as enforcers of the law, but as partners.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Precinct commanders have been attending services at local houses of worship to ally themselves with influential local ministers. And four precincts now have a dedicated team of officers who spend one-third of their daily shifts doing community outreach.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Several councilmembers stressed the need to create &quot;a more just&quot; city even while driving crime further downward.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Police officials were non-committal about a council proposal to hire 1,000 more officers.</p>
News & PoliticsEric GarnerneighborhoodsNYC CouncilNYPDTue, 03 Mar 2015 22:22:57 +0000Kris Venezia72779 at http://www.wfuv.orgNYPD Officer Indicted in Killing of Unarmed Man in Brooklyn Stairwell http://www.wfuv.org/news/news-politics/150210/nypd-officer-indicted-killing-unarmed-man-brooklyn-stairwell
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Officer Peter Liang will appear in court Wednesday. </div>
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<p>A rookie police officer who fired into a darkened stairwell at a Brooklyn public housing complex, accidentally killing a man who had been waiting for an elevator, has been indicted in the death, a lawyer said Tuesday.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Officer Peter Liang will appear in court Wednesday in the shooting death of 28-year-old Akai Gurley, according to Peter Rynecki, an attorney representing Gurley&#39;s family. The charges against Liang weren&#39;t immediately clear.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;This is the first step for justice,&quot; Rynecki said.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Patrick J. Lynch, head of Liang&#39;s union, said he deserves due process.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;The fact the he was assigned to patrol one most dangerous housing projects in New York City must be considered among the circumstances of this tragic accident,&quot; Lynch said.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Liang and his rookie partner were patrolling the Louis Pink Houses, a public housing development, in Brooklyn&#39;s gritty East New York when the officer apparently accidentally discharged his weapon. Gurley had been standing with a woman on a different floor, and after waiting for an elevator that didn&#39;t come, he started walking down the stairs. Gurley was struck and killed, police said.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; The shooting occurred Nov. 20 in the weeks before the decision on Staten Island not to indict an officer in the police chokehold death of Eric Garner. The move sparked mass protests and calls for reform of the grand jury system.</p>
News & PoliticsBrooklynNew York CityNYPDTue, 10 Feb 2015 21:40:09 +0000Kris Venezia71818 at http://www.wfuv.orgChallengers Want to Unseat Longtime NY Police Union Leaderhttp://www.wfuv.org/news/news-politics/150120/challengers-want-unseat-longtime-ny-police-union-leader
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Leader Patrick Lynch faces competition for top position. </div>
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<p>A slate of challengers is working to unseat longtime New York police union leader Patrick Lynch.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; The group is led by the Brooklyn South trustee at the Patrolmen&#39;s Benevolent Association.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Brian Fusco said Tuesday that union leaders have been &quot;grandstanding&quot; instead of improving officers&#39; &quot;disgraceful and dangerous&quot; work environment.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Lynch is seeking a fifth term as head of the union, which represents 24,000 officers. He had no immediate comment.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Lynch is usually outspoken. The rhetoric has been ramped up since the Dec. 3 grand jury decision not to indict a police officer in the death of Eric Garner.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Lynch said Mayor Bill de Blasio had &quot;blood on his hands&quot; after two officers were shot to death.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Fusco says the decision to run is not about the fight with the mayor.</p>
News & PoliticsBrian FuscoMayor Bill de BlasioNYPDPatrick LynchPatrolmen's Benevolent AssociationTue, 20 Jan 2015 18:24:10 +0000Kris Venezia70873 at http://www.wfuv.orgAfter Paris, NYPD Expanding "Active Shooter" Traininghttp://www.wfuv.org/news/news-politics/150116/after-paris-nypd-expanding-active-shooter-training
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Bratton: "We do remain, because of who we are and what we are in this city, the No. 1 terrorist target in the world" </div>
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In the wake of the Paris terror attacks, New York&#39;s Police Department is quietly expanding training for what it sees as the latest terror threat - teams of &quot;active shooters&quot; who arm themselves with high-powered rifles and open fire.</div>
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Commissioner William Bratton said the new training for the nation&#39;s largest police force is based in part on lessons brought back from an NYPD team that was sent to Paris and given widespread access to the scene of the shootings.</div>
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&quot;We&#39;ll be issuing very shortly guidelines to every police officer to carry in their memo books on how to deal with active shooters,&quot; Bratton said this week, noting more officers will be trained like the NYPD&#39;s elite Emergency Services Unit, which responds to the most dangerous calls, such as shootings and terror attacks.</div>
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Bratton added, without elaboration, that a number of other initiatives were in the works that would expand on &quot;both our deterrents and our response capabilities.&quot;</div>
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&quot;We do remain, because of who we are and what we are in this city, the No. 1 terrorist target in the world,&quot; he said. &quot;It hasn&#39;t changed in the past year. It&#39;s expanded because terrorism has expanded.&quot;</div>
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In the aftermath of last week&#39;s attack on the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and later a kosher supermarket that left 17 people dead, the NYPD went on high alert, mobilizing armed teams to guard sensitive locations, combing intelligence for any sign of a copycat plot, and sending all 35,000 officers reminders to be extra vigilant and &quot;consider tactics at all times while on patrol.&quot;</div>
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Police had already been told to double up on patrol and to have an officer stand guard while another is in a patrol car. Those directives followed the shooting death of two officers in their car Dec. 20 by an emotionally disturbed man who vowed online to kill two &quot;pigs,&quot; and the re-release of a September 2014 video from ISIS that encourages followers to &quot;rise up and kill intelligence officers, police officers, soldiers, and civilians.&quot;</div>
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Bratton also said efforts to expand the counterterrorism operation in New York were quietly being accelerated.</div>
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&quot;We&#39;re going to focus even more energy and resources on what my predecessors built,&quot; the commissioner said. &quot;They built the most robust counterterror capabilities of any city in the world.&quot;</div>
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More than 1,000 police officers and civilian analysts are already assigned to a counterterrorism mission every day and others can be brought in as necessary. The department has a network of thousands of private and city cameras that can track a bag left at subway station too long. Officers have handheld radiation detectors. And technology is only improving, with officers receiving smart phones and tablets for daily use.</div>
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Locations where critical response teams are sent are reviewed daily, based on threats, said John Miller, deputy commissioner for intelligence and counterterrorism. &nbsp;He wouldn&#39;t specify which locations.</div>
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&quot;Obvious outreach partners would be key members of the Jewish community who have voiced concerns from the beginning of this. Those are in progress,&quot; Miller said. &quot;The other obvious outreach are key members of the Muslim community. Those are also in progress.&quot;</div>
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Last year, Bratton disbanded the Demographics Unit, a team of detectives within the NYPD&#39;s Intelligence Division assigned to create databases on where Muslims lived, shopped, worked and prayed. An ongoing review of the division found that the same information collected by the unit could be better collected through direct contact with community groups.</div>
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But the department hasn&#39;t abandoned a practice adopted after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks of using Muslim informants to try to detect and thwart terror threats. The Intelligence Division is continuing to debrief Muslims arrested for petty offenses to see what they know about other crimes and if some could be persuaded to volunteer as informants.</div>
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Bratton defended the debriefings, saying they are essential, and don&#39;t single out Muslims.</div>
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This week, Bratton said the NYPD needed to work hard with the Muslim community, &quot;as they wrestle with those within who are trying to hijack their faith, who are trying to distort all the meaning of it.&quot;</div>
News & PoliticsCharlie HebdoNew York CityNYPDParisPoliceshootersterrorismtrainingFri, 16 Jan 2015 21:00:42 +0000Jeff Coltin70748 at http://www.wfuv.orgNY Requires Colleges to Report Crimes to Police http://www.wfuv.org/news/news-politics/141219/ny-requires-colleges-report-crimes-police
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The new legislation takes effect in January. </div>
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<p>New York is requiring colleges and universities to notify police within 24 hours after a violent felony is reported or someone goes missing from university housing.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; The amendment takes effect in January. It strengthens the state law adopted after Suzanne Lyall disappeared from the State University at Albany in 1998 that required schools adopt and implement plans for investigating cases and coordinate with police.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Legislators cited federal data indicating one in five college females have been sexually assaulted and only 12 percent are reported to law enforcement. The state law says it won&#39;t conflict with related federal law that gives student victims the option of whether to report those crime to authorities.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;All too frequently, there are on-campus crimes that are swept under the rug by colleges in an effort to protect their reputation,&quot; said Assemblyman Edward Braunstein. &quot;This creates a culture where criminals are not held accountable for their actions and parents are not provided with facts about the safety of the school where they send their children.&quot;</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Braunstein, a Queens Democrat who first introduced the bill in 2011, said Friday that it shifts the onus from students to the schools for reporting crimes to police, though rape victims can still choose to have their cases instead handled privately by college administrators or a judiciary board.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Sen. Kathleen Marchione, another sponsor, said it&#39;s especially important with missing students when time matters greatly.&nbsp; The law says colleges and universities will report to police &quot;as soon as practicable&quot; but at least within 24 hours. The Saratoga Republican called it &quot;a long overdue step toward ensuring the safety of college students and improving the security&quot; of campuses.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Doug Lyall said his 19-year-old daughter Suzanne wasn&#39;t officially reported missing for a few days, and that even 24 hours can be too long when someone is missing. &quot;So much can happen in that period of time. People with information have gone their separate ways. If there&#39;s any evidence, it might have been disturbed or moved,&quot; he said.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; He and his wife Mary lobbied personally for the new law. Separately, they run the Center for Hope to help families try to find missing loved ones.&nbsp; They received about 1,000 calls the first year and they&#39;re still getting about that many and from all over the country, maybe 30 percent about missing college students, he said.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Having someone missing is terrible for families, Lyall said Friday. His daughter&#39;s case is still open with the state police, he said. &quot;So far nothing has come in to really give us the information we need.&quot;</p>
News & PoliticsCollegeeducationNew York CityNYPDFri, 19 Dec 2014 22:11:07 +0000Kris Venezia69687 at http://www.wfuv.orgTensions Mount Further Between de Blasio, Police Unionhttp://www.wfuv.org/news/news-politics/141216/tensions-mount-further-between-de-blasio-police-union
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PBA head Patrick Lynch accused de Blasio of throwing police officers "under the bus." </div>
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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is delivering the latest volley in his ongoing battle with the city&#39;s police union leaders.</div>
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He dismissed their ability to speak for their rank-and-file members during an appearance Tuesday on the daytime talk show &quot;The View.&quot;</div>
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He also criticized the Patrolman Benevolent Association&#39;s petition to ban him from future NYPD funerals as &quot;inappropriate.&quot;</div>
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The relationship between de Blasio and the union has been rocky since before he took office in January.</div>
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And it has grown steadily more poisonous in the wake of a grand jury&#39;s decision not to indict a police officer for the chokehold death of Eric Garner.</div>
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PBA head Patrick Lynch accused de Blasio of throwing police officers &quot;under the bus.&quot;</div>
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The PBA is currently working on an expired contract.</div>
News & PoliticsMayor Bill de BlasioNew York CityNYPDPatrick LynchPBAPoliceTue, 16 Dec 2014 20:42:55 +0000Jeff Coltin69516 at http://www.wfuv.orgInternal Probe Moving Swiftly in Chokehold Deathhttp://www.wfuv.org/news/news-politics/141212/internal-probe-moving-swiftly-chokehold-death
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Penalties could range from reprimand to dismissal </div>
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The New York Police Department&#39;s internal affairs unit is now investigating whether any officers will be disciplined for their roles in the videotaped arrest that ended in the chokehold death of Eric Garner.</div>
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The internal probe was on hold pending the outcome of a grand jury&#39;s decision on whether Officer Daniel Pantaleo should face criminal charges. But two days after the grand jury&#39;s decision not to indict Pantaelo, police investigators started their work, calling in officers who responded to the July 17 arrest on Staten Island.</div>
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The investigation could result in departmental charges such as excessive force or abuse of authority against Pantaleo and at least six other officers. If found guilty at trials inside police headquarters, the officers face penalties ranging from reprimands to dismissal.</div>
News & Politics#BlackLivesMatterEric GarnerNew York CityNYPDPoliceprotestsstaten islandFri, 12 Dec 2014 18:34:39 +0000Jeff Coltin69361 at http://www.wfuv.orgCivilian Complaints Against NYPD Downhttp://www.wfuv.org/news/news-politics/141205/civilian-complaints-against-nypd-down
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De Blasio: reforms to "bridge the gap" are working. </div>
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Civilian complaints against New York City police are down this year, especially in the months since the chokehold death of an unarmed black man by a white officer, according to data released Friday.</div>
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Allegations of abuse of force, abuse of authority, offensive language and discourtesy were all down, according to the data by the Civilian Complaint Review Board, which investigates misconduct allegations against police.</div>
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There were 5,004 complaints by November 2013, compared with 4,150 this year. The first half of 2014 saw a 5 percent increase, especially in abuse of authority reports, but since July, when Eric Garner died, complaints have dropped 26 percent, particularly with allegations of use of force. It was the largest decline since the complaint review board was convened in 1993.</div>
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The figures come as New Yorkers react to the news this week that a grand jury declined to indict a police officer in Garner&#39;s death, amid a national discussion on the interaction between police officers and the communities they serve.</div>
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Garner, 43, was stopped by police July 17 on suspicion of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes. A video shot by an onlooker and widely viewed on the Internet shows Garner telling a group of police officers to leave him alone as they tried to arrest him. Officer Daniel Pantaleo responded by wrapping his arm around Garner&#39;s neck in what appears to be a chokehold, which is banned under NYPD policy. The heavyset Garner, who had asthma, was heard repeatedly gasping, &quot;I can&#39;t breathe!&quot; The grand jury decided that Pantaleo had done nothing criminal.</div>
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Mayor Bill de Blasio said the complaint numbers show that reforms under his administration aimed at &quot;bridging the gap&quot; between the NYPD and the community are working.</div>
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&quot;We&#39;re steadily bringing crime down while drawing police and community closer together,&quot; he said. He touted Police Commissioner William Bratton as a force of change and said he hoped the three-day retraining on courtesy and use of force that began this week will lead to a continued drop in complaints.</div>
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In all of 2012, the board received 5,741 complaints.</div>
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Also Friday, complaint board chairman Richard Emery published on the website new city maps that break down complaints based on police precinct in the five boroughs. He said it was an effort to make the agency&#39;s trove of data, usually buried in monthly reports, more accessible and easy to read. The maps are also broken down by allegations, like use of force and abuse of authority. The information will be updated weekly.</div>
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<a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/ccrb/html/news/complaint-maps.shtml">ONLINE</a></div>
News & PoliticsCivilian Complaint Review BoardEric GarnerMayor Bill de BlasioNew York CityNYCNYPDPoliceprotestFri, 05 Dec 2014 19:45:31 +0000Jeff Coltin69074 at http://www.wfuv.orgBratton Names Training Head as First NYPD Deputyhttp://www.wfuv.org/news/news-politics/141105/bratton-names-training-head-first-nypd-deputy
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Benjamin Tucker has been named NYPD first deputy commissioner. </div>
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<p>The head of training at the New York Police Department who served two presidents and has a history of working on civil rights was named the NYPD&#39;s second in command Wednesday after the chief named to the job abruptly quit.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Benjamin Tucker, a retired NYPD officer and lawyer, is revamping the department&#39;s use of force training and is uniquely qualified for the job of first deputy commissioner, Commissioner William Bratton said. The job entails handling both community and police relations, he said.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;He has an intimate understanding of crime, substance abuse, youth and the law,&quot; Bratton said. &quot;These areas make up the essential challenges now facing the New York City police department at this time in our history. And he&#39;s going to be in an ideal position to help us face, successfully, these challenges that confront us now, as well as new ones that may emerge in the future.&quot;</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Tucker was named to the post after Chief Philip Banks III retired last week. Banks had been chief of department and was to be promoted, but quit instead.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; It wasn&#39;t clear why Banks changed his mind, and Bratton cited only &quot;personal and professional factors.&quot; The position was seen under the previous commissioner as largely ceremonial and stripped of power. Bratton reiterated on Wednesday that the job had been highly important during his previous stint as commissioner in the 1990s and remains so.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;The idea that this is a figurehead, that&#39;s a figure of your imagination,&quot; Bratton said, adding he empowers his staff members to make their own decisions. There was also criticism over a lack of diversity in the department&#39;s highest offices; most are held by white men. Banks was the highest-ranking black official. Tucker also is black.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Tucker joined the department in 1969 and worked up from a beat cop. He served with the city&#39;s police watchdog agency, the Civilian Complaint Review Board and was appointed to executive director of the human rights commission while on leave from the department in the 1980s. He retired in 1991.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Tucker said Wednesday he&#39;s excited for the job. &quot;This is an amazing moment, it&#39;s really like a dream come true,&quot; he said. &quot;I love this department. I grew up in this department.&quot;</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Mayor Bill de Blasio praised the pick. &quot;I think it&#39;s a great step forward for the department,&quot; he said. &quot;I think he is an intelligent, visionary leader, who has done extraordinary things already bringing in a new approach at the police academy, emphasizing bringing community and police together.&quot;</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; After Tucker left the NYPD, he worked as a research associate at both the New York University and Columbia University where he specialized in dealing with addiction and substance abuse. He worked for former President Bill Clinton in Community Oriented Policing Services at the Justice Department, and for President Barack Obama as deputy director for state, local and tribal affairs at the Office of National Drug Control Policy.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Tucker has a bachelor&#39;s degree in Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and a law degree from Fordham University School of Law.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Bratton said he is looking for a training replacement.</p>
News & PoliticsBenjamin TuckerNew York CityNYPDWilliam BrattonWed, 05 Nov 2014 22:22:01 +0000Kris Venezia67785 at http://www.wfuv.orgMorning Brief: October 20http://www.wfuv.org/news/news-politics/141020/morning-brief-october-20
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An Opera Opening with Protection </div>
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<p>The controversial opera &ldquo;The Death of Klinghoffer&rdquo; will open tonight at the Metropolitan Opera after months of protests and threats. The opera is about the 1985 hijacking of a passenger liner and some, including the daughters of deceased real-life subject Leon Klinghoffer&mdash;claim it&rsquo;s anti-semitic. The <em><a href="http://nypost.com/2014/10/19/nypd-to-guard-metropolitan-during-klinghoffer-debut/">Post reports</a></em> that the NYPD&mdash;both in uniform and plainclothes&mdash;will have a heavy presence at Lincoln Center to keep things running smoothly.</p>
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<p><strong>NEED TO KNOW</strong></p>
<p>Joko Widodo Sworn in as President of Indonesia [<a href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/thousands-gather-for-widodo-inauguration-1413770790">WSJ</a>].</p>
<p>New Ebola Guidelines for Hospitals to Require Full-Body Cover [<a href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/new-ebola-guidelines-for-hospitals-to-require-full-body-cover-1413737409">WSJ</a>].</p>
<p>New Yorkers Delight in Claiming Long-Forgotten Cast [<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/20/nyregion/new-yorkers-delight-in-claiming-long-forgotten-cash.html?ref=nyregion&amp;_r=0">NYTimes</a>].</p>
<p>Meters may Soon be Upgraded to Allow Payment an Hour before Parking Rules Take Effect [<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/meters-payment-hour-parking-rules-effect-article-1.1979994">NY Daily News</a>].</p>
<p>Man Arrested for Vandalizing Wall of Whitney Museum [<a href="http://nypost.com/2014/10/19/man-arrested-for-vandalizing-wall-of-whitney-museum/">NY Post</a>].</p>
<p><strong>SPORTS</strong></p>
<p>Big Blue fell to red-hot Dallas 31-21</p>
<p>Rangers topped San Jose 4-0</p>
<p>Red Bulls lost to Columbus 3-1</p>
<p>Nets fell to Boston 95-90 in an experimental 44-minute preseason game</p>
<p><strong>Tonight</strong>: Knicks vs. Milwaukee (Pre-season) - 7:30 @ MSG</p>
<p><strong>WEATHER</strong></p>
<p>The chill has returned! Mostly sunny today, 59/54 with a small chance of showers in the evening [<a href="http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=40.7143528&amp;lon=-74.0059731&amp;site=all&amp;smap=1&amp;searchresult=New%20York%2C%20NY%2C%20USA">full forecast</a>].</p>
<p><strong>ON STAGE TONIGHT</strong></p>
<p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Marcia Ball and her band @ the Turning Point</p>
<p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sophie B. Hawkins @ Iridium</p>
<p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Wavy Gravy @ City Winery</p>
<p><strong>TODAY IN HISTORY</strong></p>
<p>On this day in 177, 1977 &ndash; Lynyrd Skynyrd&#39;s plane crashes in Mississippi, killing three band members, a manager, and both pilots.</p>
<p><em>WFUV&#39;s Morning Brief is published each weekday morning at 5 a.m. Do you have an event or news item that should be included?&nbsp;Email&nbsp;JColtin@wfuvnews.org or leave a comment below.</em></p>
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News & PoliticsLincoln CenterMarcia BallMetropolitan OperaMorning BriefNYPDSophie B. HawkinsWavy GravyMon, 20 Oct 2014 09:00:56 +0000Jeff Coltin66894 at http://www.wfuv.orgHate Crimes Up Against Muslim, Jewish New Yorkershttp://www.wfuv.org/news/news-politics/140917/hate-crimes-against-muslim-jewish-new-yorkers
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<p>Suspected hate crimes against Jewish and Muslim people have increased in New York City following unrest overseas this summer, but the attacks are random and not from any organized group, police officials said Wednesday.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Deputy Chief Michael Osgood, who heads the special victims division, said there&#39;s been an increase since July 1, when reports about the unrest in Gaza and the Islamic State group became front-page news.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Before July 1, reports of the crimes were down. Since then, there have been about 18 reports of anti-Semitic crimes per month. So far this year there have been 89 suspected hate crime attacks, up from 64 last year. There have been 17 reported attacks against Muslims, up from seven last year. Fourteen of the attacks on Muslims occurred after July 1.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; The crimes vary from anti-Semitic statements to assaults and vandalism. They include a 55-year-old New York man accused of mowing down a Sikh man with his pickup truck after calling him a terrorist and a series of fliers with swastikas that were found in Brooklyn, home to the largest concentration of Orthodox Jews outside Israel.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Osgood said at a briefing ahead of the upcoming holy days that the sustained media attention about overseas conflicts creates &quot;an emotional surge&quot; in New York.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;Two things occur: A person who would normally not offend now offends, he&#39;s moved by the emotion. And the person who normally not report, now reports,&quot; Osgood said.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; The incidents are not from any organized group, Osgood said. They are random and impulsive acts by &quot;street thugs,&quot; he said.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Police Commissioner William Bratton said the authorities were watching very closely and aggressively. He said it was important to note that the crimes are not an organized effort to strike a particular religious group or race.</p>
News & PoliticsHate CrimeNew York CityNYPDWed, 17 Sep 2014 19:29:10 +0000Kris Venezia65484 at http://www.wfuv.orgMorning Brief: September 8http://www.wfuv.org/news/news-politics/140908/morning-brief-september-8
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Apples, fresh and rotten </div>
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<p>Consumer tech-giant Apple is all <a href="http://www.techtimes.com/articles/14919/20140905/apple-iphone-6-launch-what-to-expect-and-how-to-watch-live-online.htm">set to launch</a> the latest iPhone on Tuesday in Cupertino, California. Rumor has it they may drop a new <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/08/technology/can-apple-build-a-cool-and-convenient-iwatch.html">&ldquo;smart watch&rdquo;</a> as well. But while some techies are going wild following the rumor mill, most people seem to not even be able to tell the difference. Like in 2012 when <em>Jimmy Kimmel Live</em> tested people on the street about the &ldquo;new&rdquo; iPhone <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/08/technology/can-apple-build-a-cool-and-convenient-iwatch.html">they were holding</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
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<p><strong>NEED TO KNOW</strong></p>
<p>Ukraine fighting threatens peace deal [<a href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/ukraine-crisis-fighting-reported-near-donetsk-airport-1410084880">Wall Street Journal</a>].</p>
<p>Hundreds of children struck by rare respiratory illness in Colorado [<a href="http://time.com/3296579/hundreds-of-children-stricken-by-rare-respiratory-illness-in-colorado/">TIME</a>].</p>
<p>New York City Council members set to question Bratton about NYPD retraining [<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/08/nyregion/council-members-at-hearing-will-question-bratton-about-police-retraining-after-chokehold-case.html?ref=nyregion">NY Times</a>].</p>
<p>New York&rsquo;s Finest on high-alert for terror during busy season [<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/busy-season-nypd-article-1.1931241">NY Daily News</a>].</p>
<p>Joan Rivers&rsquo; funeral service everything she could have hoped for [<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/stasi-joan-rivers-funeral-service-wished-article-1.1931520">NY Daily News</a>].</p>
<p><strong>SPORTS</strong></p>
<p>-Serena Williams topped Caroline Wozniacki in the US Open final</p>
<p>-Tonight in the men&rsquo;s finals, Nishikori takes on Cilic in Forest Hills at 5 P.M.</p>
<p>-The Jets topped Oakland 19-14 on opening day</p>
<p>-The Giants play Monday night against Detroit tonight at 7</p>
<p>-The Yankees fell to Kansas City 2-0 on &ldquo;Derek Jeter Day.&rdquo; They have the day off today</p>
<p>-The Mets topped Cincinnati 4-3, they host Colorado tonight at 7</p>
<p><strong>WEATHER</strong></p>
<p>Mostly sunny, high of 79, but a slight chance of rain tonight, low of 62 [<a href="http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=40.7143528&amp;lon=-74.0059731&amp;site=all&amp;smap=1&amp;searchresult=New%20York%2C%20NY%2C%20USA">full forecast</a>].</p>
<p><strong>ON STAGE TONIGHT</strong></p>
<p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Simon Kirke @ the Cutting Room</p>
<p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <u>WFUV PRESENTS:</u> Gary Clark Jr. @ Summerstage at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park</p>
<p><strong>TODAY IN HISTORY</strong></p>
<p>On this day in 1974, US President Gerald Ford pardons former President Richard Nixon for any crimes Nixon may have committed while in office related to the Watergate scandal.</p>
<p><em>WFUV&#39;s Morning Brief is published each weekday morning at 5 a.m. Do you have an event or news item that should be included?&nbsp;Email&nbsp;JColtin@wfuvnews.org or leave a comment below.</em></p>
News & PoliticsAppleGary Clark Jr.iPhoneJoan RiversMorning BriefNYPDNYPD Commissioner Bill BrattonSimon KirkeUkraineMon, 08 Sep 2014 09:00:00 +0000Jeff Coltin65026 at http://www.wfuv.orgWest Indian Day Parade Marred by Nearby Slayinghttp://www.wfuv.org/news/news-politics/140901/west-indian-day-parade-marred-nearby-slaying
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De Blasio: "Vast, vast majority" of revelers have good time </div>
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Colorful floats, elaborate costumes, politicians and merrymakers filled Brooklyn&#39;s streets Monday for the annual West Indian Day Parade, a massive Caribbean celebration that was marred by a fatal shooting nearby before the official festivities got underway.</div>
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The annual parade - which draws about 1 million people - features loud music and louder costumes. Many revelers dance their way through much of the 2-mile-long route, which winds through some of the city&#39;s most diverse neighborhoods and draws scores of politicians eager for a big statement just a week before primary day.</div>
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&quot;I love the culture, the dancing, the food and the fun,&quot; said Giovanni Oriol, 35, a Brooklyn resident of Haitian descent. &quot;My culture is very important to me, and this is a celebration of all that is good about all of these people and places.&quot;</div>
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But the march often kicks off under a shadow of violence, and this year&#39;s was no different. Hours before the parade stepped off, a recent parolee opened fire on a crowd partaking in pre-dawn festivities not far from the parade site, police Commissioner William Bratton said. A 55-year-old man was killed and two other people were wounded, and the suspect was taken into custody.</div>
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Last year, two people were fatally stabbed at the parade, and a man was shot to death in 2011. Another man was killed in broad daylight on the parade route years earlier, and a photo of his body on the sidewalk ran in a city tabloids.</div>
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Bratton said more than 4,000 police officers were deployed along the parade route, including dozens of undercover officers mingling with partygoers, and several police helicopters thundered above the festivities.</div>
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Mayor Bill de Blasio defended the importance of the parade despite the violence that has all-too-frequently surrounded it.</div>
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&quot;The vast, vast majority have a wonderful time and only a few individuals get out of line,&quot; he said after a breakfast attended by elected officials, parade organizers and local dignitaries before the parade.</div>
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&quot;This parade started small, became big and is one of the great events in our city,&quot; he said.</div>
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Sporting a colorful tribal shirt, the mayor was joined on the hot, humid day by his wife, Chirlane McCray, who is of Caribbean decent, and their children, Dante and Chiara. They received cheers throughout the march and frequently shook hands with revelers.</div>
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This was de Blasio&#39;s first time marching as mayor; a year ago, the raucous reception he received at the parade foreshadowed his blowout win in the Democratic primary. He and his family marked the occasion last year by debuting a family dance they dubbed &quot;The Smackdown,&quot; which calls for them to pantomime licking their hands, swirling them over the heads, slapping their palms to the concrete and then jumping backward.</div>
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The burdens of office didn&#39;t stop the family from delivering an encore performance Monday, drawing cheers from the sweaty crowd and a gasp from the parade&#39;s master of ceremonies.</div>
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Gov. Andrew Cuomo also received a warm welcome a week from his bid to reclaim the Democratic nomination. He dismissed chatter that he could replace his choice for lieutenant governor, Kathy Hochul, amid a surge of support for a previously unheralded candidate, Tim Wu.</div>
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Cuomo has refused to debate Wu&#39;s running mate, longshot candidate Zephyr Teachout, who has received a wave of favorable press in recent weeks. She spent much of the parade granting interview requests when she wasn&#39;t dancing and waving at flag-toting partiers.</div>
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The parade celebrates Caribbean culture and echoes traditional pre-Lenten Carnival festivities, with dancers wearing elaborate costumes, some of which are feathered, others quite revealing. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams was this year&#39;s grand marshal.</div>
News & PoliticsBrooklynChirlane McCrayCommissioner Bill BrattonMayor Bill de BlasioNYPDShootingWest Indian Day ParadeMon, 01 Sep 2014 19:48:32 +0000Jeff Coltin64766 at http://www.wfuv.orgThousands to March Against NYPD Chokehold Deathhttp://www.wfuv.org/news/news-politics/140822/thousands-march-against-nypd-chokehold-death-1
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<p>Thousands are set to march to protest the death of an unarmed black man who died after being placed in a chokehold by a white New York police officer.</p>
<p>The Saturday march in Staten Island is being led by the Rev. Al Sharpton&#39;s National Action Network.</p>
<p>It begins on the street where the 43-year-old Eric Garner was placed in the fatal hold last month and ends at the office of Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan, who this week said he&#39;s sending the case to a grand jury.</p>
<p>Sharpton and his fellow activists are demanding that the NYPD officers involved face criminal charges.</p>
<p>He&#39;ll be joined by members of Garner&#39;s family and relatives of Michael Brown, the unarmed 18-year-old shot to death by police in Missouri earlier this month.</p>
News & PoliticsEric GarnerNew York CityNYPDReverand Al Sharptonstaten islandFri, 22 Aug 2014 20:31:01 +0000Kris Venezia64371 at http://www.wfuv.orgThousands to March Against NYPD Chokehold Deathhttp://www.wfuv.org/news/news-politics/140822/thousands-march-against-nypd-chokehold-death
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The march will be led by the Rev. Al Sharpton. </div>
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<p>Thousands are set to march to protest the death of an unarmed black man who died after being placed in a chokehold by a white New York police officer.</p>
<p>The Saturday march in Staten Island is being led by the Rev. Al Sharpton&#39;s National Action Network.</p>
<p>It begins on the street where the 43-year-old Eric Garner was placed in the fatal hold last month and ends at the office of Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan, who this week said he&#39;s sending the case to a grand jury.</p>
<p>Sharpton and his fellow activists are demanding that the NYPD officers involved face criminal charges.</p>
<p>He&#39;ll be joined by members of Garner&#39;s family and relatives of Michael Brown, the unarmed 18-year-old shot to death by police in Missouri earlier this month.</p>
News & PoliticsEric GarnerNew York CityNYPDReverand Al Sharptonstaten islandFri, 22 Aug 2014 20:30:33 +0000Kris Venezia64369 at http://www.wfuv.org